


Run Like The Devil

by god_Zilla



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Catholic Character, M/M, Rebellion, Sacrilege, virgin!Frank
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-30
Updated: 2014-06-30
Packaged: 2018-02-06 20:56:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1872183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/god_Zilla/pseuds/god_Zilla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seventeen year-old Frank Iero is a devout catholic living in the quite mountain town of Belleville. He does his best to be loyal to his church community. He daren’t and doesn’t swear, drink, smoke, go out past curfew, disobey his parents, or listen to “loud” music. And he most certainly does not kiss boys, talk to strangers, break laws, get into cars with dangerous people, or get involved with the wrong people- people who do everything he swore he would not, things that not the Lord himself would grant forgiveness for. That is, until the Way family move to town.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. PROLOGUE

“-In company with Christ,  
Who died and now lives,   
may they rejoice in Your kingdom,   
where all our tears are wiped away.   
Unite us together again in one family,   
to sing Your praise forever and ever.  
Amen.”

Frank had just turned sixteen years old the day he first saw Gerard Way.

It was Halloween, and the citizens of Belleville had gathered at the edge of Maudy hill to gaze up at the fireworks. 

There were Frankenstein’s monsters and Draculas, but Frank was not allowed to dress up. He never was. 

His mother didn’t believe in Halloween decorations or dress-up. He had been sitting on an over-turned and mossy log, wearing a plain black t-shirt and his tracksuits. His parents stood, guarding over him. It was just like every other Halloween Frank had experienced: get up, have cereal (with sugar on top because it was his birthday); go to church, open a present or two and then go see the fireworks. 

Frank would stare longingly at all the other kids and teens dressed as witches and ghouls and felt his hear t sink, knowing he couldn’t dress like them as long as he was with his mother. This year, he did as usual, scrutinizing everyone’s costumes while waiting for the explosive showers to illuminate the night. He noticed a pair of boys, who, were, of course, dressed in the typical Halloween attire. But there was something... not right about them. 

One was tall and lanky, with straw-like hair and glasses placed at the tip of his nose. He reminded Frank of Harry Potter, the way he looked down his narrow nose to see through his spectacles. He was accompanied by an unusually pale young man with black and greasy hair. They seemed normal, except they were the only ones whose outfits were dotted in red. Everyone else’s outfits were fairly amateur and mild, not too gruesome. Frank didn’t recognise the two at all, then again, they were splattered with (hopefully fake) blood. Frank heard his mother scoff behind him at the out-of-place pair, muttering something about “Ways” before dragging her son and husband to the other side of the crowd. 

 

The second time he laid eyes upon the stranger was his first day back at high school after Halloween break. Now, this was a catholic school, meaning you had to wear uniforms. Funnily enough, Gerard didn’t get the memo. 

Frank was getting putting his folder in his locker before homeroom when the hall went silent. Everyone had turned to see the greasy-haired stranger wearing all black—no tie, or blazer in sight. His black hair fell into his eyes. The stranger had a hazed look in his eyes and smelled of...alcohol? His mother wouldn’t want him fraternizing with this sort.

Not at all.


	2. EVERY DAY IS LIKE SUNDAY

She was just the old lady from across the street. Frank didn’t even know her name, but she was a child of God... and, Frank knew it was great and all that she was in a better place now, but it was unfortunate for her to leave this world at such an age as early as forty. A tear streaked down his face as he watched people kissing her forehead, hidden under red and graying hair. Frank was sat near the window in the sitting room of the woman’s sister’s house, where the wake was being held. It was raining outside, so fitting for death.  
He noticed everyone scowling at someone in the corner. He craned his head around to catch a glimpse of the person’s face and his eyes widened as he realized it was Gerard Way. He’d only seen him a few times, but there was enough talk about his family. They had just moved here a few weeks ago, and it was evident that they were trouble- the mother used to be a hooker, the dad had fled, and Gerard was a downright punk. They were bad news, and Frank was warned countless time to stay away from them. “Stay away from those Way boys, ya hear me, Frankie?” Father Dunst mumbled to Frank through an egg and onion sandwich in his seat beside the boy. Frank nodded, but he couldn’t promise anything. He was a curious teen.  
From the way Gerard was repeatedly looking up at the body in the coffin back down to his hand, moving across the page of a sketchbook, he looked to be drawing the body. Frank was intrigued, but snapped his head to the floor quickly before anyone noticed him take an interest to the rebel.  
\--  
That night, Frank lay awake in his bed, the streetlights illuminating his room. It was stuffy and his hair stuck to his forehead. He unbuttoned his pyjama top, tossing it on the floor. Maybe he had a fever? He flung the blankets from himself and stepped over to the window, reaching up to open it. He moved quickly to the side, peeking from behind the curtain as he noticed a figure dancing in the streetlights. Someone drunk.  
“People are strange! Uh... when you’re a- a stranger...” the figure shouted, quickly reducing to a slur, topped with a giggle. It was greasy-haired and pale-faced, wearing an oversized hoodie and converse. Gerard.  
Gerard stumbled across the road and disappeared into the darkness of the trees- right across the street from Frank’s house. Frank backed away to his bed. If Gerard was drunk, that means he drank, Frank had to stay away from him. “What on earth just happened?” Frank whispered to himself as he curled up and into sleep.  
\--  
“Our father, who art in heaven,  
Hallowed be thy name  
By kingdom come,  
Thy will be done on Earth,  
As it is in Heaven.  
Give us this day our daily bread,  
And forgive us our trespasses,  
As we forgive those,  
Who trespass against us,  
And lead us not into temptation,  
But deliver us from evil;  
For thine is the kingdom,  
And the power, and the glory,  
Forever and ever,  
Amen.”  
-  
“You too, Linda! Keep in touch, alright?”  
Mrs and Mr Iero stood outside the chapel, catching up with their neighbours and co-workers.  
“Go back and wait in the car, Frankie” Linda bent down to whisper to her son, kissing him on the cheek.  
Frank was wearing his usual Sunday best, his baby blue suit, his hair brushed back. Everyone always doted on how handsome he looked. He sat in the silver vehicle and awaited his parents.  
He was sat with his head against the window when he saw a small, brown baby rabbit hopping into the forest’s edge.  
Frank had always had an extreme adoration for animals of every sort. Forgetting about waiting the return of his parents, who were probably taking their time conversing with old friends and acquaintances, Frank pushed out of the car and tread lightly over to where he ‘d seen the rabbit disappear. He poked through the low branches before he was submerged in the foliage. Immediately spotting the animal in the distance, he trotted over forest debris. It soon became a child’s game of chase, the rabbit hopping as Frank got closer. Soon enough, they were in a clearing and the rabbit stopped moving. Frank dropped gently to his knees behind the creature and picked it up, holding its brown tufts of fur to his chin. He placed a kiss onto the rabbit’s nose, and beamed as it blinked and sniffled.  
“Ah, ain’t that cute.”  
Frank squeaked and pulled the rabbit closer to his chest, eyeing the trees fearfully. Gerard was looming above the two, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.  
“You know, when that bunny grows old, it’s gonna fuck a lot- ‘ain’t even gonna get married, first. Whadd’ya think of that, jesus freak?” he chuckled. “Maybe you’ll turn out like it, got enough in common right now, y’all have this purity, and sickly sweetness goin’ on for the both of you.”  
Frank was now glowering up at Gerard. He didn’t even know him, and he was being so horrible to him. Gerard rolled his eyes. “Come on, I want to show you something”.  
Frank stayed put, not changing his expression nor looking away from Gerard.  
“You can bring the rabbit, I haven’t got all day, c’mon.”  
The boy, sighed, getting up, taking the rabbit with him.  
“What’s your name, jesus boy?”  
“It’s Frank, and stop calling me “Jesus Boy”, it’s mean and disrespectful to Christ and Christians.” He grumbled.  
“Alright, Frank. Whatever you say, Jesus boy.”  
“You’re Gerard. Gerard Way. And your brother’s Michael.”  
“Wow, fuckin’ stalker, much?”  
“Sorry... you’re all anyone’s been talking about at school- I- I’m not a part of the gossip- gossip is disrespectful. I just can’t help but hear it.”  
“Huh. It’s okay, we are a little different, this is a very, uh, religious area. My family- we’re not religious at all.”  
Frank’s eyes widened. “You mean you don’t believe in God? How? Aren’t you afraid of dying? Don’t you question how- how we even exist-?”  
Frank was silenced by Gerard pressing his fingers to his lips.  
“Holy shit, shut up for a sec, yeah? I don’t believe in God, no, a lot of people don’t. I just don’t get that logic and I don’t wish to, it’s totally okay for you to have something to believe in, I just think it’s impossible and a little stupid. I’m not afraid of anything, especially as when I die I won’t be able to feel anything, never mind fear. I, simply, won’t exist. I don’t give a shit about how we exist, quite frankly. We’re here now, we’re all gonna die in the end, might as well enjoy this while it lasts without wasting our time fucking questioning everything. It’s stupid that we can’t accept things. Also, God seems like a fuckin’ asshole, and the Church are definitely a bunch of assholes. I don’t associate myself with assholes like that, they can go fuck themselves. I just wanna suck dick and smoke weed but they have this fuckin’ fancy-pantsy shit against dudes sucking off other dudes, like, I like the fucking taste and feeling of dick in either end, like, so fuckin’ what, they have nothing to do with it, tellin’ me’a be a straight dude and follow god and give these church dudes money, like, no, I gotta buy crack. And they’re a bunch of fucking hypocrites, right? You get these church dudes, fuckin’ priests touchin’ up these little boys, -which is fuckin’ gross, dude, don’t fucking touch up an eight-year-old that’s what’s wrong- and then they tell gay dudes in loving relationships to go fuck themselves, what is that, Frank, what the fuck is that?  
Gerard sucked in a huge breath and let it out. Frank stared in shock and disgust. All he could think of to say was “Oh.”  
There was silence after that as they plodded further into the forest when Frank heard his parents calling him.  
“Frank Anthony Iero! I thought I told you to stay in this car! Frank?” came the distant calls.  
“I- I gotta go...”  
Gerard rolled his eyes and sighed. “I guess I’ll show you another time, then.”  
Frank nodded and pushed the rabbit into Gerard’s hands, brushing the green forest debris off his baby blue dress pants, turning to run back to the forest opening without another word.  
Gerard was left alone again, stroking the rabbit’s ears, the smoke from his cigarette disappearing into the air.


	3. There's A Place In Hell For Me And My Friends

It was a while before Frank saw Gerard again- he hadn’t turned up at school for two weeks. He hadn’t been outside the church, either. Or in the forest adjacent to Frank’s bedroom window. Frank had seen Michael around school, though, and decided to start talking to him. He was, to Frank’s pleasant surprise, a lot more bearable than his older brother. Quieter, nonetheless.  
“Uh, you’re Michael, right?” Frank leaned over to whisper to the younger Way in the school library, who was peeking from over his paperback copy of “A Clockwork Orange”.  
“Mikey, just Mikey.” He replied.  
“Oh, well, hey, Mikey. I’m Frank... I know your brother-“  
“A pain in the ass, right?”  
Frank giggled. “Yeah...”  
Mikey stuck out his hand over the book “Nice to meet you, Frankie,” he said and eyed Frank expectantly.  
Frank took his hand and shook it. “You, too.”

Mikey and Frank spent almost every day after school in the library discussing their favourite books. The names “Irvine Welsh” and “Tolkien” popped up often in their conversations.  
One day, as Mikey was reaching up to pick out a copy of The Godfather, his sleeve rid down his arms, which, Frank noticed, were dotted with yellows and purples- not paint, but a tinting of the skin.  
“Hey, what happened to your arms?”  
Mikey looked at him, confusedly, “My--?”  
His eyes widened for a second before he calmed. “Oh, man, it’s nothing, fell out of a tree while I was out in the forest with Gerard yesterday.” He laughed.  
“Gerard? Oh, where is Gerard? He’s been missing a lot of school,” Frank simpered.  
“Hah! Probably under his covers, hungover out of his mind.”  
“Oh...”  
“Yeah. Wanna go get coffee?”  
“I don’t really drink coffee..”  
“Well you start today, if you wanna continue hanging out with me.”  
-  
“What’s starbucks?”  
“What’s starbucks? Starbucks, Frank, is the Jesus of coffee retailers. And we’re going right now.”  
Mikey managed to drag Frank into the small café, which to Mikey’s pleasant surprise was not filled with the usual crowd. “Pumpkin spice for me, Sarah, and a cinnamon latté for Bilbo Baggins, over here.” Mikey said to the barista, sliding into a booth, Frank joining him.  
Sarah came over with a giant, fake smile and two cups, setting them on the table before giving Mikey a grin too big to be just any kind of “friendly”, and walking back to the counter.  
Frank opened his mouth to say something but Mikey was too quick to push his glasses up to his eyes and start talking. “So, what music do you like?”  
“Uh... I? Don’t really listen to music...”  
Mikey stared at him.  
“The fuck, dude.” He said, simply, before taking a sip of his pumpkin spice.  
“I just, mom doesn’t really let me do anything.”  
“Sucks, man,” Mikey said, in a way that sounded like he didn’t care, but also in a way that showed he did care.  
“Yeah... dad buys me comics, though!”  
Mikey took interest to that.  
“Uh... there’s one called Doom Patrol-“  
“No way! Me and Gerard love Grant Morrison,”  
“Really? I really like his art style.”  
“Gerard says that, too, Grant Morrison is the shit.”  
Frank beamed and took a sip of his cinnamon latté. It was delicious and it was a couple of minutes before he downed the thing. Mikey stared at him, astounded.  
“So, seems you like coffee.” He said. Frank just giggled, the caffeine kicking in.  
They conversed a little while longer, Mikey was grateful for Frank, he was his first real friend apart from Gerard, it was nice, for a change.  
“Frank, wanna come over?” Mikey asked as they left the café.  
“Sure, I have to be home at eight, though.”  
“Okay, mom can give you a lift home. Hey Frank, do you get scared easily?”  
Frank thought for a moment, “I-I guess not...” he lied. He totally got freaked out easily.  
“Great, we’re watching zombie movies.”  
\-----  
“Mom! Gerard? Frank’s here ‘til eight!” Mikey shouted as they entered the Way home. It seemed like any other house, clean and tidy, just no holy portraits or any crucifixes hanging on the walls like most homes Frank had been in.  
“Mom’s out.” Gerard said coming down the stairs. The sound of scratchy guitars followed him.  
“You listening to Cracker again?” Mikey asked.  
“Cracker are fucking awesome, and, no, not really, it’s on a mix tape, Low just happened to be on that mix tape.” Gerard entered the kitchen, Mikey following, and Frank trailing meekly behind.  
Gerard pulled out a can of beer from the fridge and went upstairs.  
“Uh, sit down, make some food or whatever, I gotta talk to Gee a sec,” Mikey said to Frank before darting up the stairs and shutting Gerard’s bedroom door.  
Frank wasn’t hungry. He pulled a chair from the table and plopped into it, resting his chin in his gloved hands.

10 minutes passed.

Then 20.

Then 30.

And then, Frank stood up, removing the gloves from his hands and setting them gently on the table in front of him. 

He padded over to the bottom of the stairs and looked up, cocking his head. He tiptoed up until he was on the landing. 

He heard whispers coming from the door and he pressed his hands to the wall beside the bedroom door, peeking through the gap. 

Mikey and Gerard seemed to be having a heated debate about something way out of Frank’s earshot. 

Gerard suddenly looked over, seeing straight through his eyes. 

Frank gasped and backed away, tripping over his own feet.

Gerard swung the door open. 

“You lookin’ for somethin’, Jesus boy?” he snickered.

“Oh, I-I was just looking for the, uh, th-the bathroom, but I, it’s o-okay! I’ll just, uh-“

Gerard grabbed his hand pulling him up to stand against him. He reeked of alcohol but his eyes were glowing bright amber. 

“Th-thank you,” Frank stuttered, looking down at his feet. 

“I’m sorry.” He ran down and sat back in his seat, folding his hands in his lap, beginning to say the holy spirit, begging God for forgiveness of such a sin as to eavesdrop. Mikey appeared immediately in the kitchen. “Frank, what were you doing?” he rushed to say. “I swear, I was just looking for the bathroom-“

“Liar.” Gerard appeared in the doorway, slurring.

Frank pursed his lips, trembling and avoiding eye contact.

“You can send me home, I’m so sorry, don’t tell mom she’ll ground me for being disrespectful, and then I wouldn’t be able to go to Sunday school and-“

Gerard interrupted once again, cackling.

“Sunday school! You’re worried about getting grounded and missing Sunday school?” he wheezed.

Frank folded his arms, knitting his eyebrows, trembling quenched. “Yes, is there a problem?” he said, stubbornly.

Mikey did a weird eyebrow thing in Gerard’s direction, glaring at him. Gerard shut up, went to get a beer and disappeared again.

Frank and Mikey spent the rest of the night in the Way’s sitting room, watching Futurama reruns- something Frank had never before heard of, to Mikey’s astonishment. 

His mother phoned at 8:30, telling him to make his way home.


	4. Friends In Higher Spaces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a filler chapter.

The next day, Frank went to Mikey’s after Church that Saturday morning. They watched Star Wars. Mikey was relieved to find out Frank had knowledge on at least something. 

He was Mikey’s physical proof that not one person on this planet hadn’t hear of Star Wars. The downside to the little movie marathon, was that Gerard liked Star Wars, and had squashed between the two to watch it. 

The upside of that was that it seemed like Gerard had actually showered and instead of his usual stench of alcohol and Way funk, he smelled of cotton fields clothes freshener.

Frank accidentally-on-purpose inhaled through his nose the whole time. 

A popcorn fight ensued where Frank got popcorn down his pants and when Gerard reached to fish it out he jerked away, fell off the bed, and trembled with fright before the Way brothers attacked him with tickles. 

This was how it went most days Frank visited the two. Which was every day for two weeks and onwards. Onwards being where Frank started to notice that things weren’t normal in the household. Well, it had been evident from day one that the family was weird but... something particularly abnormal that made Frank’s stomach twist every time he entered Mikey’s bedroom with Gerard there or any time Mikey was on the phone to his girlfriend and ordered Frank to retrieve Gerard from his....bedroom. Basement. Whatever.

There were times where Mikey and Gerard would leave Frank downstairs, sometimes not even speaking to him, just nodding and telling him to do whatever he wanted. They would shut the bedroom door upstairs, according to Frank’s ears, and play music very loudly. Mikey would often come down the stairs quieter than ever. 

Gerard was always a cocky prick.


	5. Friends In Higher Spaces Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IRRELEVANT BUT THERE IS A FUCKING CHILD OUTSIDE MY DOOR SCREAMING AND I'M SORRY THIS CHAPTER'S SO SHIT BUT I AM READY TO RIP APART A FUCKING BITCH

Frank’s suspicions were confirmed on a Friday in April 1981, just a month and a half after meeting Mikey

Frank gave and received the usual greeting, entering Mikey’s kitchen. He sat down. It was one of those days where Gerard and Mikey would leave him while they went up to the room. 

Frank sighed, pouring himself orange juice.

The moments passed and Frank was sure he heard crashing and yelping from Gerard’s room but it was none of his business, someone probably fell or something.

Seconds later, loud groaning was definitely heard.

Frank went beetroot, knowing those sounds from Christmas one time at his aunt Matty’s house. 

Still, none of his business.

The music soon stopped and the way brothers later appeared once again in the kitchen. 

Gerard went to get a beer and disappeared again.

Mikey’s eyes were bloodshot and his hair and clothes were messed up and crumpled.

His glasses were askew and there seemed to be more purple on his neck, just like his arms.

“Are you okay, Mikey-?”

“I’m fine.” He snapped. “You should go, Frank, don’t wanna be late. See you around.”

“Mikey-“ Frank said as he was pushed out the door. “We can still be friends, right?”

Mikey teared up and sniffled. “Uh, I hope so, Frank, but you have to go home now.” He shut the door.


	6. Cough Syrup

Frank woke up the next morning with a blocked nose and a clogged throat and a worried looking Linda Iero.

She leaned over him, a sympathetic look on her face as she held up a spoonful of brown liquid. 

Cough syrup.

 

“Oh, mom, no.” Frank groaned, or, at least croaked.

 

“Come on Frankie just sip it up and you can go to school. I know you’re unwell honey, but you’ve been doing so well at school lately, and if your attendance is well, I’ll give you a treat!” She exclaimed. 

Frank sighed, giving her a small smile. He took the spoon and swallowed, a shudder going down his spine from the bitter taste.

“Get dressed and be down in 5 minutes for breakfast and a little thanks to God, okay, sweetie?” she grinned.

Frank nodded, stepping out of bed.

 

He arrived in the kitchen in his uniform and his hair greased back. His mother had prepared toast and tea for him. 

When he’d finished the morning meal, he stood up from his chair and knelt at the table, sniffing. 

“Our Father, Who art in heaven. Hallowed be Thy Name; Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.....”

 

Frank zoned out as his feet crunched the gravel in the school parking lot. It was raining and he hadn’t bought a jacket. He would catch his death of cold if he didn’t get inside, quickly.

He headed straight for the library, needing to talk to someone.

He saw a blonde streak of hair and the top half of a pair of hornrimmed glasses peeking out over the top of a spiderman comic

“Mikey, can I talk-“

“Spiderman Is such a bitch.” Was his reply and interruption. 

“Uh.. okay...” Frank said slowly.

Mikey looked up from the comic. “Hi, Frank.” He said quietly.

“Mikey, about yesterday, I really don’t care. God taught me to love and not to judge. I don’t care what happened, you’re still my friend.”

“Frank, it’s really not like that,” he explained shakily. 

“Gerard...he, well, he’s just really fucking dangerous and I can’t have you getting in trouble.”

“No, Mikey. I...You’re my best fucking friend and I don’t care what Gerard does. Fuck Gerard.” Frank said. Immediately looking at his feet, ashamed of his language.

Mikey was dumbfounded. 

“Shit, Frank.”

“Shit, Mikey” he grinned in reply, looking up.

He sat down opposite him and opened up a comic.


	7. Continuation of previous chapter

It had been a few days since Frank had seen Mikey.

Make that weeks.

Gerard was also absent. Frank couldn’t help but think it had to do with that one night.

He decided to visit.

 

“Yeah?” Gerard said, opening the door, not peeling his eyes away from his phone. 

“Come in...” he trailed off, walking back inside, absently. 

“Frank eagerly followed him, leaning up and asking for Mikey.

“Gerard, where’s Mikey?” “Can I speak to Mikey?” “Please?” “It’s important..”

“Frank,”

Frank rambled on.

“FRANK.”

Frank shut up.

“Mikey’s missing.


	8. Cigarette Trees

“Mikey always used to come around here with me. Well, he followed me, it was my relaxation spot, I guess? And I dunno, he kinda took it. It’s in his nature to just wordlessly claim my things as his. It’s cute, really. So yeah... just keep looking, he’ll be nearby..”

They searched. 

Under rubble, behind rubble, in trees... you name it. 

He was nowhere.

They reached a garage, or, something along the lines of that. It was so... old and decaying, it was hard to distinguish what it once might have been.

Frank sat down on a small, broken, brick wall. His blue dress pants were smudged with dust and dirt, as was his face. His shirt collar and blue bowtie did not falter. He could still feel his mother straightening it out that morning.

“Ever been out of Belleville?” Gerard hopped atop a piece of corrugated metal.

“Nope.”

Gerard let out a sigh. “Huh, didn’t think so...”

“What about you? Apart from moving here, had you ever left Elmwick?” Frank asked quietly, looking up.  
“Me? Oh, sure, dude. I’ve been to fuckin’ India, England, Ireland and France- just me and Mikey. And Dad, while Mom was somewhere in NYC with a dozen dicks up her ass.”

Frank shifted uncomfortably.

“India was pretty awesome, we got to ride elephants and shit and the food was fuckin’ crazy. England is super cool if you wanna hang around with punk kids, me and Mikey went to see The Smiths it was totally fucking rad, Morrissey took off his shirt and I sucked him off in the venue toilets.”

Frank stared blankly at Gerard.

“Wha- Dude! You don’t know the fucking Smiths? You dunno Morrissey? Shit, man, that’s not even cool, man, I’ll let you listen- hang on, but I gotta tell you about Ireland, fuck. Right, Ireland, we were in this camping area with all these travellers, or gypsies or whatever the fuck you wanna call them, the chicks were so fucking hot. No leprechauns or banshees or no shit, just so much beer and the dancing was wild, dude, I got into this fight with a six-foot-tall dude- he punched me in the face it was fucking awesome, yeah.”

Gerard swung on a branch as he rambled on about his travels. The branch snapped and he landed smoothly on his two booted feet.

“France is total bullshit, don’t go to fucking France, Frank, it’s just loaded with all these snobby rich dudes and it stinks of fucking wine and Coco Chanel, okay, don’t. Fucking. Go. To. France.”

Frank winced inwardly at Gerard’s swearing and looked around the abandoned railway in case someone was around to see them. There was, obviously, no-one.

“Wanna cig?”

Frank’s eyes widened at the Marlboro pack waving in front of his face, stunned into silence, He could never smoke.

Gerard crouched down until he levelled with Frank’s sitting height. He blew smoke straight into the younger boy’s face.

“Want. A. Cig?” Gerard nearly demanded, his eyes daring Frank.

Iero was too afraid of what Way would do to him if he denied. Maybe the smell would go away when he brushed his teeth later. The boy nodded.

Gerard grinned, flashing his many little teeth and lifted a cigarette out of the pack with two of his pale fingers, placing it between Frank’s slightly parted lips. He moved in close, nearing his own cigarette to Frank’s and lighting it. The cancerous smoke billowed around Iero’s face, mixing with the breaths of cold air they were both breathing out.

It was moments before Frank could gain control of himself to actually inhale the smoke, which he did in one, huge lungful, coughing it back out.

“Damn, never smoked before, little Jesus boy?” Gerard taunted.

Frank blushed and looked away, inhaling more successfully on his second try.

It’d be a long night.


End file.
